Kevin

@Ben Smith I fell this way after my first Thursday puzzle. But now I think this was a splendidly brilliant puzzle. If you want to enjoy these as well, you have to learn the unwritten rules of NYT. First is the rule of cool: if the construction is clever enough, it can break any or all the written rules. Second, Thursdays are not that hard, but there is a trick. If you don't figure out the trick, they are usually impossible. And lastly, these puzzles always have a "revealer" clue. Spelling out the trick isn't fun, but hinting at it is. The revealer could be anywhere, but they are usually toward the bottom and reference the grid in some way. If you identify the revealer clue, that should narrow the possible tricks for the puzzle. In today's, the revealer talked about the downs not making sense, so that's where the trick is. Start solving acrosses as normal then see if you can decode the full trick. I hope you continue trying Thursday's, as they are the most rewarding solves